whimsy
Americannoun
noun
-
a capricious idea or notion
-
light or fanciful humour
-
something quaint or unusual
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of whimsy
First recorded in 1595–1605; whim(-wham) + -sy
Explanation
Whimsy is what a person who's a dreamer and out of step with the real world might have lots of. People who are full of whimsy are odd, but often fanciful and lovely, like Harry Potter's friend Luna Lovegood. Whimsy is also a whim — something you do just because you want to. If you find a postcard of Alaska and take that as a reason to move there, that could qualify as whimsy. Whimsy is irrational, but playful. If you decorate your house with whimsy, you may have a wall decorated with butterflies and giant daisies with googly eyes, and a couch trimmed with peacock feathers and vinyl. It's amusing and witty, and you’re a master of whimsy.
Vocabulary lists containing whimsy
Kindred
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Swing
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"All That" by David Foster Wallace
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nara and Lucky Blue Smith, 28, married in 2020 and share four children: eldest daughter Rumble Honey, son Slim Easy, Whimsy Lou and infant Fawnie Golden.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026
Viewers often see Smith interacting with Whimsy and her three other children Rumble Honey, Slim Easy and Fawnie Golden, who was born in October 2025.
From BBC • Jul. 2, 2026
Whimsy to Spare Aug. 19, 2016; Enatai A giant neon bowling-alley sign is the shining North Star of the neighborhood.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 24, 2021
Whimsy was, in a sense, a reaction to the brutal times when England bulldozed its way across the world, tossing countries into its empire like butterflies into a net.
From New York Times • Nov. 20, 2018
Through the shimmering veil of words we catch, now and then, a flashing glimpse of the Immortal Whimsy within, shy, sudden, and defiant.
From Shandygaff by Morley, Christopher
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
